Antonio Praetorius

Wednesday 17th and Friday 19th of December 2003 the Dutch Recorder Orchestra Praetorius presented in collaboration with the recorder virtuoso Saskia Coolen and the singer Wilfred Reneman a programme with the famous Italian composer Antonio Vivaldi. A programme in which the masterly Four Seasons cannot be missed. The Dutch Recorder Orchestra Praetorius performed a unique arrangement of the Four Seasons in which all original instruments have been replaced by recorders in all shapes and sizes. The force of the Four Seasons is still there even thought the sound is totally different.


Vivaldi and Praetorius make birds sing, dogs bark, ice melt, people freeze and the sun burn. This can be read in the sonnets that are part of the Four Seasons. These sonnets are in the programme leaflet. The solo part was played by Saskia Coolen, teacher at the Amsterdams Conservatorium and a long time member of Camerata Trajectina.


After the mondain, instrumental music from the Four Seasons, Praetorius also performed the Save Regina by Vivaldi. This century old ode to the virgin Mary has been arranged by many composers and Antonio Vivaldi also made two versions. In an arrangement, especially made for the Dutch Recorder Orchestra Praetorius, just like the arrangement of the Four Seasons, the singing voice was sung by the altus Wilfred Reneman. He composed two works for Praetorius earlier: Susko Erroberrak and Spaanse Dansen.

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